


A Family Visit

by morganthefangirl



Category: Lockwood & Co. - Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 20:58:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13689675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganthefangirl/pseuds/morganthefangirl
Summary: Lucy is a little bit nervous about going over to see her family, so what better way to get over those nerves than to have some company?Wanting to help his teammate out, Lockwood decides to go with Lucy to visit her large family.Neither of them knows what to expect in this upcoming adventure. However, they are ready to go and find out together.





	A Family Visit

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fanfic, so please let me know if i'm doing this alright. i know the characters are slightly out of character, but hopefully this isn't too bad. 
> 
> if i'm being honest, the only reason this fic exists is because i need more domestic fluff in the fandom, i don't really see any!
> 
> thank you all, and i hope you enjoy!

Lucy walked into the kitchen that morning, actually dressed in something other than her pajamas. The boys knew something was up immediately. She ignored the look they gave each other when she sat down and buttered her toast at the table. It was also noticed, how she practically stabbed the toast with her knife.

She finally looked up after she set her knife on the table. “What?” she asked, peeved at the fact the boys kept nervously glancing at each other. “What is it?” 

Lockwood tentatively started, “Are you okay, Luce?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

At that particular time of early morning, George was as blunt as he could possibly be. “You come here dressed in normal clothes, and not your pajamas. That’s one thing. The toast is practically murdered because you all just stabbed it through with your knife. That’s two. And the fact that you are so obviously on edge this early in the morning. Ding-ding, that’s three.”

He continued after he shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth and ate it quickly. “Lockwood and I have talked about this before. If you want us to leave you alone, we will.”

“And why would I want to be left alone?” She raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly did you guys talk about?”

Picking up the newspaper, Lockwood opened it up and held it in front of his face, concealing his slight blush. George was not as easily flustered; however, he was brutally honest. “Don’t pretend, Lucy. Lockwood and I aren’t completely oblivious when it comes to the female body. Around every month it’s bound to—.”

Her eyes widened drastically. “Shut up, George! It’s not that time of the month! Believe me, I would know.”

George readjusted his glasses and shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth. “Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh’!”

Finally regaining his composure, Lockwood set the paper down. “Interesting article. Anyway, why are you so—.” He paused, seemingly searching for the right word. “Unlike you? I don’t know, Lucy. You don’t seem yourself.”

She sighed. “My sister, Mary, rang. My family wants me to visit for a day or two. They’ve all decided to get together for some reason.”

Lockwood smiled. “Well, isn’t that great? There’s no need to be nervous about asking. We don’t have any cases for a week or so. You could be on a train tomorrow.”

“That’s not the problem,” she grumbled before taking a bite of toast.

It was Lockwood’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Then what is?” Once again, he and George shared a quick, confused glance.

“The only part of going home that I really enjoy is seeing my nieces and nephews, and my sister Mary. Everything else still feels just a bit weird. Especially since it was so last minute. It’s still too, superficial, I guess? I’m fine, but also not at the same time if you know what I mean. I hate going there alo—,” Lucy paused, her eyes lighting up. A light-bulb seemed to have turned on in her brain.

Continuing, she set her toast down and folded her hands together. “Can you guys please come with me? It would make it so much better. Please?” 

“I don’t know, Lucy. Are you sure your family wouldn’t mind us being there?” Lockwood asked. 

“Actually,” George said, “it would just be you. I have business to attend to. And someone who actually lives here needs to watch the house. Can’t have Holly coming in and getting rid of all my food.”

“Oh the horror,” Lucy deadpanned. She turned to Lockwood, holding her hands in a pleading motion and trying to give her best shot at puppy dog eyes. “Please, Lockwood? You said it yourself, we don’t have any cases until next week, and it would only be a day or so. I’m ready to beg if necessary, Lockwood.” 

George snorted. “Practically are.”

Before Lucy could retaliate, Lockwood interrupted, “Sure, Lucy. I guess it would be nice to meet the family who raised you. As long as it’s okay with your family that I’ll come, we’ll be on a train tomorrow.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed. Eating her last bite of toast, she stood up and walked out of the kitchen. “I’ll call Mary right now.”

Once she was out of sight, George looked over at Lockwood with a smug look on his face. “What is it, George?” Lockwood questioned.

“’The family that raised you, you wonderful, amazing human being’, goodness, Lockwood. Already meeting the family and you two aren’t even together yet.” George teased as he laughed at Lockwood’s flushed expression. 

“Shove a sock in it, George,” Lockwood muttered, thoroughly embarrassed.

***

The next afternoon, Lockwood and Lucy were on a train headed north. They sat next to each other, comfortably, ready to get the five-hour train ride over with.  
Lucy had her sketchbook in hand and was casually drawing to pass the time. Lockwood was reading a book all about rapiers; about their history and tips to refine rapier skill. In their compartment, Lockwood sat on one side, with his feet on the other. On that other side, Lucy sat with her legs criss-crossed because they weren’t long enough to reach the other side comfortably. 

Both of them were content like this. As the company had grown closer, those quiet moments when they weren’t fighting off evil were much appreciated. Every now and then, they would glance at the other, just to make sure that they were doing okay. Yet, that glance wouldn’t just be a glance. It’d be noticing different little things about each other; then, blushing for two seconds and scolding themselves. If George were there, he would’ve teased them relentlessly, or he would’ve rolled his eyes.

About halfway through the train ride, Lockwood was the first to break the silence. “So, Luce, what is your family like? I think I should know just a bit, so I’m not too overwhelmed.” He was slightly teasing, but he genuinely wanted to know. First impressions were always important to Lockwood, and because it was Lucy’s family, it was vital. 

“Well, I’m the youngest of seven,” Lucy said. She waited a moment to gauge his reaction, which was just a raised eyebrow. “Seven girls.”

“That’s very interesting. I’ve never seen a family quite that large, with all girls nonetheless.” He chuckled, and Lucy smiled. That warm feeling had stirred up in her chest again. Lockwood continued, “What was it like?”

She snorted. “Nothing much. Mary and Elizabeth practically raised me, at least it felt like that when I was old enough. Mary’s closest to me in age, only two years older, and Elizabeth is three years older.”

He looked intrigued. “Can you tell me more? I just want to know what I should expect.”

Lucy felt okay with sharing her family history with Lockwood, she knew that she could trust him. She started, “I guess I’ll start at the beginning.” Setting her sketchbook off to the side, she cleared her throat and looked Lockwood in the eye.

“My father died when I was five. He worked at a train station and accidentally fell under a train. So, I was left under the care of my mother and sisters. That wasn’t too spectacular.” She snorted.

Lockwood’s face was empathetic. “I’m so sorry, Lucy.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Lucy said, “Don’t be. I don’t remember him much. And what I do remember is not all that pleasant.” She noticed the confused look on his face. “From what I can remember,” she continued, “he was a bit too fond of alcohol.”

When she said that, Lockwood sat up straighter, all seriousness. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Well I never told you, so that’s that,” she said. 

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “If I had asked you more about your family, would you have shared?”

The corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile. “I’d like to think so. Maybe not so much in the first few months we all knew each other though.”

He brightened just a bit. “Understandable, what about your mother?”

Lucy rolled her eyes, some of the life draining out of her eyes. “A witch of a woman, hate her with a burning passion. All of my sisters do. That’s why we all meet at Alice’s house whenever we get together. Mum’s kind of became a recluse ever since we shut her out. We don’t feel sorry one bit.”

Noticing Lockwood’s tensing posture, Lucy quickly assured, “There was nothing major, physically. Mentally is another story. I was such an impressionable child. When she noticed that I had an actual chance of becoming an agent at the age of eleven, she sent me off to go ‘work for the family’ like the rest of my sisters.”

“You don’t sound too bitter about it,” Lockwood said tentatively.

“I’m really not. If she didn’t, I may not be at Lockwood and Co. Sometimes I do wish she was kinder, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without that woman.”  
Malcontented thoughts swirled inside of Lockwood’s mind, and Lucy could practically see them forming. Not wanting to have him in a bad mood up at the house, she quickly reassured, “You won’t see her at all, as I said, we all pretty much shut her out. My sisters and I are getting better in our relationships without her there.” 

The whole epidemic of what happened at Fittes made Lucy determined to start a new relationship with her family, and in order for that to happen, she needed to let go of the memories of her mother. 

“Still…” Lockwood trailed off. 

She waved her hand. “It’s really nothing. All that matters is my sisters and I getting closer. After what happened a few months ago, I decided to build a new and better relationship with my family. Things like what we went through made me happy that I still had my life.”

Taking a deep breath, Lucy continued, “Things are still in a constructive state of sorts, which is why I really wanted company. Sometimes it gets too awkward.”

A moment of silence passed before Lockwood decided to change the subject. “Moving on, what’s the rest of the family like? Should I expect craziness?” he joked.  
Lucy flashed him the Carlyle Grin, all traces of seriousness leaving her body. “Oh, my nieces and nephews are just like me in terms of recklessness.”

“Should I call George and tell him he needs to be up here tomorrow with a fire extinguisher?”

“Nah, we’ve got one at the house just in case,” she laughed. “Anyway, let’s start with the families from oldest to youngest.”

Unexpectedly, Lockwood stood up and crossed over the small distance between them to sit next to Lucy. The space in between them was not small, but it was not large either. This wasn’t unwelcome of course, and Lucy tried her best to have her face remain neutral. Thankfully, she was pretty sure she succeeded. 

“Go on, Luce, we haven’t got all day.” Lockwood nudged her with his elbow.

Nudging him back playfully, Lucy started with her oldest sibling. “The oldest of the Carlyles, no, now she’s a Raxen, is Alice. She’s twenty-seven right now.”

“Ten year age difference?” Lockwood asked.

“Yes. My parents were nuts when they were young. They had Alice when they both were 23 years old. Alice was even crazier and started having kids at twenty. Not that I mind, it’s just a tad unexpected.” Lucy shifted around as she talked so that she was facing Lockwood. With legs still criss-crossed, her elbows rested on her knees as she held her face up.

“Alice is married to a man named Johnathan Raxen, and they have four kids together. The twins, James and Oliver, are about seven. Mia is about four, and Olivia is almost one. I’ve seen James and Oliver plenty of times, Mia a handful, and I’m about to meet Olivia for the first time.”

“That’s bound to be nice, a new addition to the family.” Lockwood smiled.

Lucy nodded, eyes twinkling. “Yes, Mary’s said that she’s the most adorable thing and I absolutely cannot wait to see her.” Her smile became sheepish. “I really love kids, especially my nieces and nephews.”

Before Lockwood could say anything, Lucy continued on. “Fair warning though, James and Oliver are bound to be all over you. They’re little balls of energy and their other boy cousins aren’t quite old enough to play with them yet. Someone new, especially as close to their age as they can get, might set them off.”

“I think that will be alright. I am already excited to see them,” Lockwood responded. Lucy knew that Lockwood never had much of a family that he could remember well, and she was glad that she got to share her’s with him.

She moved on, “Next down the line is Abigail Firrope, she’s about twenty-six. Married to a man named William, with two kids.” Lucy hesitated for a moment. “Jessica is about four years old while Alexander is three.”

Only because she knew him so long, she knew his smile was a bit sad. Hearing Jessica’s name still triggered some sad memories. Yet, he was still smiling and encouraging her with fond and attentive looks to continue. And so she did. “Abigail was always the quiet one, but she noticed the most things. She could see when you were in a bad mood, and if you wanted to talk about it or not, that sort of thing.” 

“That last part sounds a lot like you.” Lockwood’s nose crinkled playfully. “The first part, about being quiet, not so much.”

“Hey!” she said, not really offended at the truth.

“Lucy, when you got the toaster out last week, you dropped it, moved out of the way while cursing, ran into the counter and then caused the pan behind you to fall to the ground,” Lockwood teased.

She mock pouted. “Fine. I am pretty loud, but I have to be with the job we have!” The look he gave her made her rethink. “Okay, sometimes.”

Once again, Lucy shifted her seating. Now, she leaned against Lockwood with her back on his shoulder, stretching out her legs on the seat. Her feet rested up against the train wall, and she felt much more comfortable. 

A wave of exhaustion tumbled through her body. She yawned. “Next we have the twins, Emily and Isobel, twenty-three. They worked at the Night Watch group in Newcastle, I believe. Emily is older by two minutes, never lets Isobel live it down. Emily is married to a David Whatope, they gave a kid named George, who’s about eighteen months now.” She snickered. “Unlike our George, this kid is full of energy and can crawl or run around the house all day long.”

Lockwood hummed humorously, feeling tired himself. “Very unlike our George indeed.”

“Isobel is married to Molly, and they don’t have any kids yet. I think they’re planning to adopt,” Lucy informed. 

Lockwood shifted slightly so that Lucy’s shoulder blades would barely rest on top of his chest instead of his shoulder. Lucy gave no objections, only closed her eyes.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Lockwood said. “The oldest is Alice, then Abigail, and then Emily and Isobel?”

Nodding once, Lucy began, “Affirmative. Now we’re getting to the good part of the line-up, the final three.”

“Can’t wait to hear about these troublemakers.”

She snorted. “You actually are right. We were the most active out of all the seven kids, Elizabeth the most. Gosh, she did a lot of things to piss Mum off. I remember she burned a stack of old schoolbooks because Mary said she didn’t want to read them. Also, I think it was her who lit great aunt Martha’s dress on fire.”  
“It sounds like your sister Elizabeth loves the concept of fire.”

“She did. Now as she’s gotten older, she’s about twenty now, her attitude has mellowed out a bit. However, when she has that devilish glint her eyes, it’s best to run the other way.” Lucy smiled fondly before she continued with her next memory. “Once, I was being picked on by some kids at grammar school, and she lost her voice the next day because she yelled at them on my behalf. Oh, their faces! Can still remember them to this day.” Lucy chuckled, but Lockwood really didn’t see what was so funny. 

Feeling drowsier by the minute, Lucy moved on. “Mary was the ice to Elizabeth’s fire. She was always calm and collected, but strong and independent too. Oh, how the boys she went to school with loved her. She has always been the prettiest Carlyle, that’s for sure.” She didn’t notice the fact that Lockwood had rolled his eyes in disagreement. “Yet, she’s always out to prove herself as something more. She became my guide, even at such a young age, and lack of age difference. When I ran away to come to London, she was the only one to keep in contact with me. My other sisters care about me, no doubt about it, but not as much as Mary does.”

Lockwood closed his eyes, basking in the comfort that was Lucy Carlyle, leaning on him and telling him about her past. “Mary seems truly amazing.”

“She is.” Moments passed in silence before Lucy added, “And then there’s me.”

Smiling, Lockwood murmured, “And then there’s you.”

The smooth ride of the train and the warmth of the other eventually coaxed them both into sleep.

***

“Are you ready for this?” asked Lucy.

Lockwood made a show of looking nervous. “Hopefully.”

Lucy snickered and rang the doorbell. Within seconds, she heard footsteps running down the hall. When the large black door opened, it revealed to young boys, who looked exactly alike with their messy blonde hair and green eyes, and a young girl whose curly brown hair was in pigtails. 

“Aunt Lucy!” They all shouted. In one sudden rush, Lucy was engulfed by the three children. One twin wrapped around each of her legs as Lucy swooped in to save the girl from being knocked over. Lockwood looked at the scene with a smile on his face.

The young girl grinned when Lucy sat her on her hip. “We missed you, Aunt Lucy!”

“And I missed you little rascals too.” Lucy’s grin couldn’t get any bigger. The boys stepped back and finally noticed Lockwood, but the girl was still holding on to Lucy’s sweater, wanting to hug her Aunt a little while longer. 

The twin boys looked in awe at Lockwood. “You’re Lockwood!” They said at the same time. 

Squatting down to their height, Lockwood smiled. “Yes, I am. And who are you guys?” he asked, even though he already knew.

One of the boys spoke up. “I’m James!”

“I’m Oliver,” the other said. 

“Pleasing to meet you, James and Oliver.” He held out his hand, and both of the twins grabbed it and shook it firmly. 

Lucy felt so happy, she had two of her worlds colliding, one family with a part of another. Lockwood stood up. “Who is this angel?” he questioned, looking at the girl in Lucy’s arms. 

The girl buried her face into Lucy’s sweater, all shy like. “This shy one here is Mia,” said Lucy. “She takes a while to warm up to people.”

“Ah, something I’m used to by now, living with you and George,” Lockwood quipped. 

Sending him an amused glance, Lucy said, “I cannot deny that.”

James pulled on Lucy’s free hand while Oliver pulled on Lockwood’s. “Come inside, everyone’s here!”

All five of them walked into the house. The twins led them through the wooden hallway into the living room. Once there, Lucy about jumped ten feet into the air. “Surprise!” Every adult in the room yelled.

A beautiful girl who looked to be a year or two older than Lucy walked over to her and hugged the side of her that wasn’t holding Mia. “What’s this all about, Mary?” Lucy asked while hugging her sister back. 

“Well, your birthday is next week, so we threw a tiny surprise party!” Mary grinned. “I called Portland Row a few days ago, not when I talked to you, but a man named George said you guys had cases booked all the week of your birthday. So, I called everyone up and we threw an impromptu surprise party.”

Lucy looked over at Lockwood and gauged his confused expression. She hadn’t told him, or George, when her birthday was. They, of course, could’ve looked it up, but there was always so much to be done. It didn’t really bother her, she didn’t like to celebrate her birthday all that much in the first place.

But seeing all of her family gathered for her, Lucy couldn’t help but smile. “I’m going to hurt George when we get home, but thank you all!” She set Mia down and turned to face Lockwood. ‘Talk later’, she mouthed. He nodded with a small smile on his face in return. 

Turning to face the rest of her family, Lucy said, “I don’t believe you all have met. Everyone, this is Lockwood. He’s a very good friend and he’s saved my life more times than I could count at this point.”

All of them smiled at Lockwood, and he smiled back, radiating his usual confidence. “Probably the amount of times that you have saved me, Luce.” He raised a hand in greeting. “Hello, Lucy’s family.”

Various forms of greetings were given, but they were mostly positive. The little ones who didn’t give a greeting were still in awe, as they knew two very important people had entered the room.

A woman with long, dark hair stood up. She appeared to be the oldest of all the women in the room. “Such a pleasure to meet you, Lockwood. Welcome to my home. I’m Alice Raxen, this is my husband Johnathan.” The man who sat next to her was blond with bright eyes, he smiled at Lockwood and Lucy.

“Thank you so much for having me on short notice, Alice. You have a lovely home and kids.”

Alice grinned. “Thank you. Now, let me run you through introductions. Lucy probably told you everyone’s name but let’s match it to a face.” She listed everyone in the family, pointing to them as she said their name. Once finished, she joked, “Did you get that?”

Lockwood smiled. “Hopefully.”

“Excellent! Well, I should be putting the final touches on dinner. It should be ready in ten minutes or so. Johnathan, Abigail, would you come with me please?”

Abigail got up with a smile, nudging her husband William as she went. Johnathan took a second longer to follow, but once he saw that his twins were up to no trouble, he left the room. 

Lucy looked over at Lockwood, and she was glad to see him still smiling. “I think we should take our bags upstairs, Lockwood,” Lucy said. He nodded in agreement. 

Hearing their conversation, Alice poked her head back into the living room. “You guys are sharing the second guest room. Is that okay?” 

They both glanced at each other and shrugged in a way that meant they were fine with it. Alice smiled, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see some of her sisters’ smirk. “Great, Lucy, it’s the same room as last time. The second door on the right side of the staircase.”

Both of them grabbed their bags from the front porch, which were abandoned in the whirl and excitement of them getting into the house. They walked up the staircase together in silence, their steps falling in stride. Lockwood looked all around the place, eyeing up pictures on the walls and the nice decorum. “Is this one you, Luce?”  
He pointed to a picture that was hanging with others on a wall opposite of the stairs. The picture itself clearly showed a younger looking Alice, her striking nose, and large eyes being prominent, looking to be around her early teenage years. Two younger identical girls were sitting next to her on a step, obviously Emily and Isobel. In Alice’s arms, was a youth of about two years. The child already had some sort of grin on her face, something that looked very familiar. 

“What gave it away?” asked Lucy.

Lockwood smiled. “Your trademark grin. Even as a child, you had that look down.”

She snorted. “Damn right I did. Had to get attention somehow, and that grin was lovable but trouble making.”

“Still is. Ah! This must be the room.”

Lucy barely had time to comprehend what he said before walking into the room. It was the same as Lucy left it, one queen bed sat in the middle of the far wall with windows that showed the view of the backyard on both sides of it. The room itself was small, but not cramped. There was a little brown desk to write on in one corner of the room, and the closet was on the opposite wall. 

“Lucy,” Lockwood interrupted her train of thought, “why didn’t you tell me, or anyone for that matter, about your birthday?”

He didn’t seem mad, just confused. “I have had some bad experiences with birthdays, that’s all. Once again, being the youngest doesn’t really have many perks. My sisters were all busy with their own things and work. My mother never made an effort, and my birthdays were just a day were everyone wished me a happy day and that was that.”

A frown appeared on Lockwood’s face. “Luce—.”

“Besides,” Lucy continued, “there was always so much to do at Portland Row. So many ghosts to kill and evil maniacs to fight, never really thought it was worth bringing up.”

Moments of silence passed between the two of them, and Lockwood was deep in thought. Tentatively, he said, “Of course it’s worth bringing up, Luce. We celebrate everyone at Portland Row equally, everyone’s apart of the team so everyone gets the birthday treatment. And now, especially since it’s your eighteenth, we’re at least going to have cake on your birthday.” Smiling, he added, “Deal?” 

Lucy took a moment but decided overall that it would be nice to celebrate her birthday, especially with her new family. “Deal.”

“Guys! It’s time for dinner!” Elizabeth’s voice rang loud and true from the bottom of the staircase.

“Coming!” Lucy shouted at the top of her lungs. She walked toward the door, not noticing Lockwood’s wince. “She’s always the loudest one,” Lucy joked before walking out of the room.

“Still think you hold that title,” Lockwood muttered under his breath.

After a couple of minutes, everyone was sitting around a large, rectangular table in the dining room. Alice and Jonathan sat at the head of the table with Olivia and Mia in their laps, and the twins sat on one side of them. On the same side, sat Abigail, William, Jessica, and Alexander. The other side of the table sat Emily, David, George, Isobel, Molly Elizabeth, and Mary. Lockwood and Lucy sat at the end of the table, opposite of Alice and Jonathan.  
Everyone had piled their plate with ham, some mashed potatoes, some Sheppard’s pie, and an assortment of other things. Lockwood was polite and took a little bit of everything while Lucy did the same. 

Once grace had been said, the meal had begun. There was pleasant chatter all around, mainly about the food. “This is delicious, as usual, Alice,” said William. The entire table agreed. 

Alice smiled and looked around at everyone. “Thank you. It’s so nice to finally have everyone together again. It’s been too long.”

More murmurs of agreement. Sometime during the meal, after catching up and talk of ghosts and the Fittes case, the conversation turned to Lucy herself. 

Mary kicked that conversation off. She stood up and raised her glass. “Here’s to one of the reasons why we’re here. Happy birthday to one of London’s saviors, our sister, Lucy Carlyle.” 

Around the table, everyone raised their glass and Lucy blushed. “Thanks, guys.”

“Speech! Speech!” James and Oliver yelled. Lucy quirked an eyebrow at Alice, and Alice shrugged in return. She didn’t know where the boys had learned that.  
Lucy stood up with her glass, and Mary sat down. She started, “Once again, it’s great to see all of you again, and to meet some of you.” A wink was sent to baby Olivia at the last statement. “After this crazy year, it’s nice to be with family. I’m so thankful that all of us are now finally growing closer, and becoming the family that we all deserve to have. Thanks for having this party for me, I love everyone here. Here’s to family.” 

Sitting down, Lucy clinked her glass with Mary and Elizabeth. Everyone took her lead and clinked glasses with those around them. “To family,” everyone murmured.  
When Lucy noticed Lockwood was just smiling, she clinked his glass with hers. She talked in a low tone, so only Lockwood could hear. “You’re a part of this family too, you know. Maybe not by blood, but by my heart at least. Holly, George, Kipps, maybe even Flo, are in that family too.” The trademark Carlyle Grin was back.  
“To family.” Lockwood smiled and drank the water from his glass.

Jubilant chatter ran throughout the table for the next few minutes, everyone settling into side conversations. Elizabeth, Mary, Lucy, and Lockwood were all caught up in a conversation about life at Portland Row when Elizabeth got a glint in her eye. 

Lucy knew something was up, but Elizabeth wouldn’t give any clues away. Lockwood and Mary were still chatting away about the renovations done to the house when Elizabeth asked, “Lucy, is that a necklace under your sweater? I’ve never seen you wear jewelry often. May I see it?”

Mary seemed perplexed as to why Lucy was wearing a necklace as well. Her conversation with Lockwood halted and the two of them turned to see Lucy’s answer.  
Internally, Lucy felt red hot with embarrassment. Externally, she hoped she looked cool and nonchalant. 

The golden chain was the only thing that was showing, so Lucy had to pull the sapphire up to show her sisters. Elizabeth and Mary softly gasped as the light shone through the dark blue jewel beautifully. 

Lockwood was grateful that the attention was on his necklace and not on his burning ears. Seeing Lucy wear the necklace that he gave her made his heart race for unknown reasons.

“It’s so lovely! Where ever did you get it?” asked Mary.

Clearing her throat, Lucy said, “It was a gift.”

Mary sensed Elizabeth’s question and quickly asked another to lead away from that subject. Though, Mary wasn’t sure which question was better to answer. “Do you wear it often?”

It didn’t matter that Lockwood was right next to her, Lucy would’ve told the truth right to his face. “Almost every day, yeah.” Noticing her sisters’ quirked eyebrows, she continued, “It makes me feel safe in a way, I guess.”

Elizabeth asked the question before Mary could kick her. Mary was pretty sure what Lucy’s answer to the question was going to be, and she didn’t really want to put Lucy through that embarrassment. Nevertheless, Elizabeth asked, “So who gave it to you?”

Small prayers about not blushing were said internally by both Lucy and Lockwood. 

“Lockwood did, actually.” Lucy gave a smile and nudged Lockwood in the side.

Smirking, Elizabeth turned her attention over to Lockwood. “And where did you get that necklace? It’s too pretty for words, does it have a story?”

Underneath the table, Lockwood’s fingers stole Lucy’s. It was a habit that he had gotten used to, anytime he had to share something about his past. He smiled at Lucy’s sisters. “Yes, it does. My father gave that to my mother as an engagement present I believe. Once they passed, my sister Jessica had it for a while in her room. Then after her passing, we finally cleaned out that room before the siege of our home, and I found it. I gave it to Lucy as an, ‘I really hope we don’t die tonight’ kind of present before anything really happened. Then we kind of forgot about it. I gave it to Lucy again after the whole ordeal was over as an ‘I’m really glad that we didn’t die’ gift.”

“That’s so—.” Mary actually did kick Elizabeth in time before she said the ‘r’ word. “Sweet,” Elizabeth continued. 

Knowing Elizabeth, Mary knew that the first word of hers would be romantic, and she had a feeling that Lockwood and Lucy hadn’t proclaimed their obvious love for the other yet. However, Elizabeth would have loved to play matchmaker and see the pair squirm.

Nodding, Lucy squeezed Lockwood’s hand once more before going on to eat the rest of her dinner. “He truly is.”

To say that Lockwood was simply grateful that his blush hadn’t erupted would be an understatement. 

***

For some reason or another, Lucy and Lockwood had been the lucky two adults to watch over the kids in their playroom. Not that they minded; in fact, they both liked the company of the small children better than the adults. It was less awkward around children, and the children were just little bundles of joy when they behaved.  
James, Oliver, and Alexander hung around Lockwood in the playroom upstairs while Lucy dealt with Mia, Jessica, and baby Olivia. 

When James and Oliver had found their foam swords in the toy bucket, they begged Lockwood to teach them some rapier tips and tricks. “Aunt Lucy is pretty good, but she said she learned a lot from you,” said Oliver at the beginning of the evening. Lucy didn’t deny that she said that, she simply shrugged and went to go play house with Mia and Jessica. 

George, unfortunately, had left with Emily and David soon after dinner, so he missed out on all the cousin fun. Isobel and Molly had also left to go back to their home. The Firropes were leaving later in the night, as they lived close by and didn’t have a lot of driving to do. Elizabeth and Mary were staying the night, as well as Lockwood and Lucy. They would leave for their train at ten the next morning, but Lockwood and Lucy would leave at noon. 

“James, raise your hand up higher. When you hold it that way, you can block your waist and your neck. Oliver, loosen your grip. If your grip is too tight, then your movements will be choppy,” Lockwood advised. 

Alexander was on Lockwood’s shoulders, with his elbows on top of Lockwood’s head. “Yeah, what he said.” Lockwood’s hair looked atrocious, but it only caused Lucy to laugh before turning to the girls.

Lucy held Olivia in her arms, gently rocking the baby back and forth as Mia and Jessica were too busy battling a ‘fire’ in their toy kitchen. The twins wouldn’t let the girls play with their swords and play their games quite yet, but they had their own fun alternatives. Lucy knew that the girls loved to play what they called ‘house heroes’. 

Once again, glances were thrown across the room. Those glances noticed how well either Lockwood or Lucy worked with the children, and how amazing they looked doing it. Like the train, those glances made them blush up a storm. 

Jessica, as observant as her mother, noticed. “Auntie Lucy, your cheeks are on fire,” she teased. Before Lockwood would notice, Lucy focused her attention on the sleeping Olivia. 

“Guys,” Lucy said, “you’re going to have to keep it down just a bit. Olivia is sleeping.”

Of course, their quietness didn’t last for too long. Fortunately, Alice called everyone downstairs for goodnights and goodbyes. 

Hugs and handshakes were exchanged, and Lucy received more birthday wishes.

When Abigail hugged Lucy, she whispered in her ear, “Lucy, I know you like him. Make your move!” To say Lucy was shocked was an understatement, her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly agape. Abigail winked and went to grab Alexander. 

Everyone who was still staying waved goodbye to the Firropes, and after some goodnights were exchanged, everyone retired to their rooms.

Lucy sighed when she entered the guest room, the evening had taken a toll on her mental health state. She and Lockwood shared the same feeling, but still worked seamlessly as they got ready for bed.

Of course, once they were already to sleep, there was the obvious issue that there was only one bed in the guest room.

They both looked awkwardly at the bed. “I’ll take the floor,” they said in unison. 

Chuckling, Lockwood said, “Really, Luce, it’s not a problem. I’ll just—.” He made to grab a pillow and bring it to the floor.

“No!” exclaimed Lucy. After seeing his raised eyebrow, she continued, “I just, you know, the floor is uncomfortable, and I really don’t mind sharing the bed.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?” asked Lockwood. 

After her nod of confirmation, Lockwood put his pillow back on the bed right next to Lucy. 

The bed was large enough for them to share, but it still caused them to be close together. Not that either of them cared about that aspect.

“It’s weird,” said Lucy. “Not being on a case right now, and actually getting a good night’s sleep.”

“You’re right. Our whole schedule feels off. I’ll probably wake up at five in the morning,” Lockwood joked. 

She agreed, “Same here.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence. Both of them were still trying to get over the fact that the other is sitting in the same bed as them. Yes, they had fallen asleep on each other before in night cabs, but this was completely different. 

“Lucy, if I may be so bold, why were you apprehensive about coming here in the first place? I mean, everyone was so nice. I don’t know if it was because I was there or not.” Lockwood was babbling. He never babbled, unless he was nervous, which never happened often. 

Lucy sighed, she loved it when Lockwood asked personal questions, but not when she was so mentally tired. “I had a feeling they were going to celebrate my birthday. And things still kind of felt in an awkward position when I received the invitation.” She paused, taking a moment to think about her words. “And, last time it felt like my mother was still waiting around. Like she was watching over us in some freaky way, even though she wasn’t. I’m really surprised to see it so light-hearted today.”

“Is your mother one of the reasons you don’t like celebrating your birthday?” Lockwood questioned.

“Mostly,” Lucy admitted. “She treated it just like any other day. The usual taunts, insults, complaints, never got better treatment on that day. So, I’ve always treated it just like any other day. My sisters tried to make it better, but they were always so busy doing stuff that Mum always asked them to do.” 

Tentatively, Lockwood grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I wish I could change it.”

She intertwined their fingers. “I know. It’s fine though.”

More silence. After a minute, Lockwood kept the conversation going. “I never knew you were so good with kids. Anyone with eyes could see that they really adored you.”

Chuckling, Lucy bumped his shoulder. “You’re not too bad yourself. The boys really liked you.”

“They’re actually fun. They remind me of myself when I was younger. Energetic and wanting to play with swords.”

Lucy snorted. “I can totally see you like that. You’re still practically the same.” 

Somehow, the two had moved even closer together. Their shoulders were touching and their entwined hands rested on each other’s legs. Lucy’s head rested on Lockwood’s shoulder as they sat against the headboard.

Lockwood leaned into Lucy. “Your relationship with your sisters seems to be getting better.”

“Yup.” Lucy yawned.

“What did Abigail say to you? I saw you look pretty flustered.”

At that time of night, the filter that went from Lucy’s brain to her mouth was completely nonexistent. Her voice was low and obviously tired when she said, “Basically that I should admit my feelings for you.”

Only five seconds later, Lucy’s eyes went wide. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath.

“Do you have feelings for me?” Lockwood asked, his voice a bit lighter than usual. 

“Yes,” Lucy whispered nervously, looking at him.

Lockwood grinned. “That’s fantastic.”

“Why?”

“Because I might just have feelings for you too.”

Neither of them knew who leaned forward first. But their lips were touching, and that was all they could care about.

The kiss was gentle and slow, but it still sent waves of happiness throughout both of them. After such a long time of accidental flirting and non-accidental touching, it was finally happening.

Both of them pulled away from the kiss, only to breathe. Their foreheads rested against each other’s, and their eyes remained closed. However, the smiles on their faces never left them. 

What felt like an eternity later, Lockwood said, “I am so glad that you got me to come here.”

Later that night, Lockwood was fast asleep with his arm around Lucy. Lucy rested a bit on his chest, soaking in all of his warmth and thinking about their trip. Her mind was whirling about all that just had happened, and she was having trouble processing.

It only took her a few minutes to give up. That was a tomorrow problem. 

A few minutes later, Lucy fell asleep to Lockwood’s beating heart.


End file.
